ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a music group
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — a container
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spell — magic
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com